RAPALLO
21st Nov:
RAPALLO – SMALL LIVELY RESORT –
I suppose that for the Italian Riviera the price of our hotel was quite good.
We had a job finding it; on a hill, past the picturesque central harbour. There was a
steep incline from the road to the hotel.
RAPALLO – YOU NEED GOOD BREATH AND GOOD STRONG LEGS
To reach the front door I had to struggle up a lot of ornately balustraded steps. Graham had to toil up the hill with our luggage (which had to be left in a car park a good way down the hill). We then tackled even more steps up an impressive staircase to our room on the first floor.
THEY COULD HAVE WARNED US REGARDING ALL THE STEPS
All those steps and inside stairs could not be helped in a Victorian house on a steep hill, but they should be stated in booking info, I think. Parking was a short walk away down the hill (or up, if you are hand-carrying luggage!) The restaurant was closed in the evening, necessitating a long trip round to find somewhere suitable to eat.
HOTEL DELLE ROSE, RAPALLO –
VICTORIAN HOTEL – FADED GLORY
It had been a rather grand Victorian villa or guesthouse, and the present decor rather let that down: a pity. We both felt ‘this place could easily have been exceptionally pleasing, with very little extra expense.’
DÉCOR DISAPPOINTING – IT COULD HAVE BEEN REALLY ATMOSPHERIC
I think we just felt a disappointment that the interior did not reflect the impressive exterior. The once dignified rooms had been hacked about and several extra ‘squeezed in’. Some of the bedrooms, like ours, had been divided, which left them very high-celinged, with cut-off ornamentation. A pity – but understandable, I suppose. The owners were, after all, in business.
– BUT COMFY BED AND GOOD BUFFET BREAKFAST
However, both the room and our bed were satisfactorily clean and we slept well. The breakfast was very good for an Italian buffet. The staff in attendance, with one rather rude exception, were mostly helpful.
Room Tip: Try not to book higher than 1st floor unless you think a great view worth the climb!
Hotel delle Rose, Via Aurelia Orientale, 65, 16035 Rapallo GE, Italy
Phone: +39 0185 50736
22nd Nov:
PORTOFINO
In the morning I persuaded Graham to go down the hill and into the town of Rapallo. We passed fine Victorian buildings encircling its pretty harbour full of sailing boats.
A short drive further on was the fishing village of Portofino. In Google ‘Images’ it resembled closely the highly coloured tumble of fishermen’s cottages down to the sea that we missed by cancelling our room in the Cinque Terre. My husband objected strongly to the narrow road hugging the cliff on one side, the sea slopping up to the rocks below us on the other.
PORTOFINO – SO PROMISING – MUST WE MISS IT?
I argued strongly, wanting to explore the small forts guarding each side of the small harbour, and our last chance to see a multicoloured village of Italy.
Graham moaned all the way, pointing out that he couldn’t turn round and we had a whole day’s journey before us. Useless for me to quote ‘The entire journey takes 4hrs 23 minutes driving time – that’s all. The road to Portofino is less than a mile.’
PORTOFINO – A VERY SLO-OW RO-OAD
However, it proved to be a very slow, winding precipice road. When we reached Portofino it was to find the pretty little square full of tourists. *** (Of course, we regarded ourselves as quite a different species – travellers, if you please…)
PORTOFINO – AFTER ALL THAT –
We got out of the car to take the short walk down to the beach, but turned back when we discovered they were charging for the pleasure – just like the sharks back in Britain! And there was a queue! Even I balked at delaying further, and the exploitation.
PORTOFINO – WE TURNED AWAY!
I was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive back – right through Rapallo before we found our road. By then it was at least 10.30am.
GENOA – A HIGHWAY I HATE – AND IT ALWAYS RAINS
The quickest way to reach each nightly stop meant driving once more through the outskirts of Genoa. As twice before, it rained relentlessly. We were constantly popping in and out of tunnels. Heavy traffic insisted on overtaking us, even in the sometimes stifling tunnels – (great for my COPD, to say nothing of the ‘flu.)
SAD TO BE GLAD TO BE LEAVING ITALY
With great relief, we finally emerged from the last tunnel. What a shock, to find all road signs in French! No warning – no customs checks. The road was lined with trees in autumn colours. We said ‘farewell’ to Italy, and ‘Hello!’ to La belle France…
Text by – Jackie Usher, SWWJ. (aka author Debbie Darkin, & ‘Graham Liverpool’ on Trip Advisor.)
Photographs by – from Hotel delle Rose website.
